The use of toys as educational tools is well known in adolescent fields. If a child can be encouraged to play with a particular toy or object, that child is more likely to be receptive to messages that are conveyed therethrough. This is particularly true if the toy can be utilized in an engaging game that draws their attention and fosters concentration.
Several devices are known that embody different shapes and body portions having letters arranged thereon. One example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,667 issued to Miller on Mar. 20, 1984 for a Geometric Game. Therein, a RUBIK's CUBE style device is utilized with letters fixed to the exterior individual faces of each of the component blocks of the CUBE. By arranging the several different blocks, words and/or phrases may be established. Another teaching game is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,567 that issued Jan. 4, 1994 to Whitfield for a Toy Building Block For Teaching Braille. Therein, cube shaped blocks are provided having conventional English letters and their Braille equivalents located either on the same face or on a different face with the purpose being to assist in teaching children the Braille system of reading. It is also contemplated that words and/or symbols having Braille equivalents may also be embodied on the blocks for similar purposes. Another example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,348 issued Oct. 25, 1977 to Marzoni, Jr. for a Word Building Game. This invention discloses icosahedral-shaped dice that are useable in combination in word construction games. The specific embodiment of the disclosure includes five icosahedral-shaped dice thereby establishing a collective one-hundred faces up on which letters may be placed on the five twenty-sided figures. In yet another example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,586,429 that issued May 25, 1926 to Kiesling for a Cross Word Puzzle Game discloses a twenty-sided figure that is used like a die on a game board for word spelling purposes.
In each of the known devices described herein immediately above, none provide a shape, particularly a symmetrical and generally ball shape having twenty-six sides which are advantageously configured to receive a single letter of the English alphabet on an individual base or facet. As a result, a need for an improved structure for educational play has been recognized and addressed in the present invention which is disclosed hereinbelow.